GTP Undergraduate Intern Program
The Grady Trauma Project Intern Program
Applications are CLOSED for Spring 2025. Please check back in early spring for Summer 2025 applications.
Want to gain clinical experience recruiting and interviewing research participants?
Want to learn about trauma research methods?
Join our team!
What is the Grady
Trauma Project?
The Grady Trauma Project (GTP) is a NIH-funded research project with many active studies that investigate risk and resilience mechanisms related to PTSD and other adverse trauma-related health outcomes as well as cutting-edge interventions. Our program's long term goal is to help reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes in minoritized communities. Research is conducted across sites at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, Georgia and Emory University campus.
What will you be doing as an intern?
The primary role of an undergraduate intern is to conduct interviews with participants on their trauma history and psychological health. Participants are primarily Grady Memorial Hospital patients, although some of our studies recruit from the larger Atlanta community.
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Interns complete extensive clinical training in order to conduct the interviews independently, gaining meaningful skills in trauma research methods and the administering of clinical psychological measures. Through this work, interns will have the unique opportunity to develop a thorough knowledge of trauma and trauma-related disorders, and will become members of a team at the forefront of international PTSD research. In particular, interns will gain experience working directly with adults and/or children with a range of psychopathology, will develop critical clinical skills, and will be able to administer a number of widely used psychological assessment instruments with both chronic and acutely traumatized populations. Grady Trauma Project is one of the only programs in the country with the opportunity for interns to conduct clinical research without an advanced/graduate degree, therefore making a high level of commitment to the project a necessity.
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Interns are expected to complete 6+ hours of clinical research tasks per week for a period of 6+ months. Weekly team meetings occur on Tuesday from 2-3pm via Zoom (specialized project meetings also occur at various times throughout the week, depending on the project).
Intern Responsibilities
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Commit to 6+ hours per week average time over 6+ months (preferably 1 year with opportunities for longer for those who are interested) for participant screening and other commitments
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Virtual Screening Responsibilities:
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Recruit research participants via telephone calling, emailing, and putting up flyers around the community.
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Explain the study and guide participants through study consent procedures
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Conduct research participant screens, including collecting participant trauma history, administering psychological symptom inventories, assessing alcohol and drug use, eating behavior, etc.
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Some in-person responsibilities include:
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Collecting participant saliva sample for subsequent genetic analysis
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Assisting with data collection of psychophysiological measures
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Complete required training, hospital orientation and necessary documentation as needed
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Attend weekly staff meetings every Tuesday from 2-3pm and a regular intern skills training
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Help out with any other tasks around the project
**Please note that we are unable to write recommendation letters unless you have fully participated in the program for the required time commitment as outlined above**
Opportunities, Eligibility, and How to Apply
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed. Applicants that applied by 10/16 will be notified by 11/8 on the status of their application. Applications for Summer 2025 will be open in early spring for Emory undergraduate students only.
See below for information about eligibility.
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Emory University, Summer 2025: In order to be eligible to work as an intern at GTP, Emory students must be able to enroll in independent research for course credit. Contact your major advisor to discuss whether this is a possibility within your course schedule.
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Georgia State University RISE program, Fall 2025: In order to be eligible to work as an intern at GTP, students must be able to enroll in independent research for course credit. Contact your advisor to discuss whether this is a possibility within your course schedule.
We are not accepting applications from undergraduates at other institutions at this time.
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